Jeff Ifrah on New Jersey’s Limited Restrictions on Golden Nugget Owner: NJ is Going to Get Rid of This Restriction

In an article in Gaming Compliance, Jeff Ifrah commented on the recent announcement that online sportsbook operator PlaySugarhouse had switched from working with Golden Nugget to offer sports betting and is instead working with Monmouth Park.

New Jersey’s strict gaming regulations prohibit anyone who owns more than 10% of a professional sports team from accepting bets on any event in the league in which the team participates. The owner of the Golden Nugget, Tilman Fertitta also owns the Houston Rockets, thus is barred from offering betting on the NBA.

“Not being able to offer it clearly prevents a sports book from being competitive,” Jeff said.

He predicted that the New Jersey legislation, which originally had banned an owner like Fertitta from offering all betting on all sports, may be amended, and that no other states currently weighing legalized sports betting are considering the inclusion of such a strict provision.